Can I Upgrade to CS3?

[Kemara]

Hello everyone! I'm an out-of-work designer (got laid off in April due to the economy). I'm having a very hard time finding work and am considering freelancing if/until I can get a 9 to 5.

I currently have the CS suite Educational version which I had to buy for my graphic design classes. Does anyone know if I can upgrade this version to CS3 or would I need to buy CS3 outright?

Before anyone mentions it, I'm well aware that the educational version is not to be used for making money. I haven't used it for such. All of my design work up to this point was done in-house for a daily newspaper. I was there for almost 8 years and switched from copy editing to graphic design in that time. That's why being laid off was so hard, but anyway....

I just don't have the money right now (on unemployment) to afford CS3 outright. I might be able to afford the $600 for the upgrade though if I put it on my credit card.

I don't see how I can freelance without a normal version of the software....which I can't afford! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Virgo Nightingale]

From what I understand, you can use the educational Adobe software to make money. The only difference between the education version and the regular version is that the educational version doesn't include the extras that come with the regular version, namely the fonts and the clipart library. Otherwise the usage is the same, you just have to be a student/teacher/school to purchase it.

As far as upgrading, I'm not sure. I believe that you have to call them for an upgrade price if you're upgrading from an education version.

Out of curiosity, why do you feel the need to upgrade? CS1 isn't so far back that you need to upgrade. It's getting there though. ;)

[Kemara]

Well, I used Adobe's chat feature to talk to someone at the Adobe store. He said I could upgrade my CS Standard student edition to CS3 for $399. So I did that and just put it on my credit card. At least with Discover I'll get cash back!

As for why I wanted to upgrade....I am almost positive I remember reading when I bought my student version that it couldn't be used professionally. I think it was in the license agreement. I didn't want anything to come back and bite me in the butt later. Plus, many of the job listings I have seen require experience with CS3. So now I will be able to put that on my resume.

I guess I can consider it an investment. Now if I could only find some work!:)

[Virgo Nightingale]

I believe that if you buy it as a student, you can use it down the road when you become a professional. You're just not supposed to already be a professional and get a student to buy it for you to use.

Regardless, it's a good price for the upgrade and now you know you're safe!

[Craig B]

$400 for the upgrade's a pretty good deal. That's cool that it all worked out Kemara. Good luck with scraping up some freelance jobs.

[garricks]

We have this discussion every few months, it seems. The rules for educational versions in the US are different than the rules for the rest of the world. PrintDriver posted something definitive a couple of weeks ago about the US rules.

Kemara did it the right way and asked Adobe. :D

[Virgo Nightingale]

If I'm thinking of the same thread, that was about whether you could transfer a the license of an educational version of the Adobe software. You can't sell the education version to someone else.

[garricks]

Oh, Virgo, I think you're right.

But I remember a recent discussion about using the educational version to make money, and there was a difference between the US and other versions.

Come to think of it, it might have been on the Adobe U2U forums. I'll do some poking around over there and see what I can find. But the bottom line is to call Adobe Customer Support -- they'll know for sure.

[Maximus katana]

If i remember correctly, you indeed CAN use it to make money, but you cannot use dreamweaver or flash to make money (because of the whole macromedia thing)

[Virgo Nightingale]

I agree garricks, always best to ask Adobe if you're not sure.

[MikeHun]

You respected the software developers intellectual property rights and did the honorable thing, good for you.
Since you are freelancing now, when it comes time to do your
taxes make sure that the upgrade purchase is included in
the expense portion of your taxes.

[garricks]

Good point, MikeHun!

[Kemara]

Thanks to everyone who replied! Here's an update to my situation. I did order the CS3 upgrade, and it arrived the next day. Great service from Adobe!

Unfortunately, my little eMac doesn't have enough RAM to install it. So, I had to order some more memory for an extra $100. It should be here on Thursday. I just hope I can install it myself....I've never done anything like that before. I bought the computer in 2003 so it's out of warranty with Apple if I fry something.

Here's another lesson....make sure your computer can handle the software. Otherwise you might be spending even more money! :rolleyes:

[Virgo Nightingale]

Installing RAM is easy peasy. I've never done it on a Mac before, but I imagine it's the same thing: unplug, open case, snap in the card, close case, restart. Just make sure you touch something metal (like the leg of your desk or something) before you touch anything inside your computer. ;)

As long as you're sure you bought the right type of memory for your computer (which I imagine Apple makes easy to figure out) there should be no problems.

[urstwile]

You can find a lot of instructions on Apple's site for your specific model regarding installing RAM. The Mac models since G3 and later have usually been pretty easy as far as RAM installs go. Not sure about your particular model.